I've got a minor leak right where the gear lube hose hooks up to the drive unit. No telling how old the hose is, but seems to be it leaks the most when lower unit is in trailering position or all the way up. Talked with local shop, said it is a $15 hose and $200-$250 labor!! Hose has next to no extra slack, and you can't add on too much additional hose to existing hose becuase the contour of the hose will pinch and their goes the gears with no lube!! Any ideas just to get me through the rest of the season? Would a union work, or do you know of something better??

Sheesh, 200 bucks labor? Buy some long needle nose pliers, razor blade on a stick, swivel screwdriver and some beer. Replaced mine in 20 minutes, just looks like a ***** to do. If you are carefull with a heat gun you can even mold the hose slightly so it tucks up neat.

Tim T.

Are you talking about the older style gear lube monitor that has a bottle mounted inside the transom?? If it is, then you have a rubber hose going through your transom which crimps onto a steel braided line which crimps onto a fitting that threads into the drive. I have seen this set-up leak before. All I did was cut off the rubber and steel hose , re-use the drive fitting, and attach a new rubber hose from the bottle to the fitting on the drive. It will work fine like that.

I'll bet it is not the hose at all but the main upper seal on the drive. Even more convincing is that it leaks more when the drive is in the trailer position. The lube leaks out of the drive into the bellows and then into the bildge via the grease seal in front of the gimbal bearing. I just got through chasing the same gremlin! I'll bet if you slack the nuts that hold the drive to the bell housing and pull the drive back a little, you'll get a foot full of gear lube.

Check it and tell me I'm wrong...

Mongo

Oh, and go find another shop... $200-250 labor? Guess they have a crack habit to support...

what imongo said...especially if it's leaking only in the trailer-up position. Unless you obviously see it's leaking from the hose....


Zack